Folding ottoman

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a foldable ottoman having a sidewall assembly, a bottom panel, and a top lid. The sidewall assembly comprises a number of sidewalls, wherein adjacent sidewalls are interconnected by flexible hinges so as to enable the sidewall assembly to be moved between a collapsed state and a deployed state. In the deployed state, the sidewall assembly forms a geometric shape. The bottom panel is inserted into the deployed sidewall assembly and is removably supported by a plurality of removable support means. The top lid is placed onto the sidewall assembly and is removably supported thereon.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of the filing date of Chinese PatentApplication No. 200720119852.8, filed on Apr. 30, 2007.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a foldable piece of furniture, and moreparticularly to an ottoman or footstool that can be readily disassembledand collapsed.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

A variety of shapes and sizes of furniture, and in particular ottomans,footstools, and the like, have been developed over the years to providecomfort and decoration. Many consumers prefer furniture that isrelatively inexpensive, multi-functional, easy to assemble, and easy tostore and transport.

For those consumers who cannot afford many pieces of furniture, it isdesirable to have furniture which can perform multiple functions.Although the primary function of an ottoman is as a footstool, it isdesirable to have an ottoman that can serve additional functions, suchas providing storage space.

Consumers expect furniture that is already assembled or can be easilyassembled. Once assembled, however, most furniture cannot be easilydisassembled. Most furniture is assembled using nails, screws, staples,epoxy, or some other type of relatively permanent fastener or fasteningmechanism. This presents a challenge for consumers, especially when thefurniture needs to be stored or transported from one location toanother.

Shipping and packaging costs can substantially increase the cost offurniture to the consumer. In particular, an assembled piece offurniture typically has a non-solid shape that takes up a large amountof space during shipping and makes it difficult to maximize the spaceutilized in a truck or transport vehicle. The same physical features offurniture can make it difficult for a consumer to store and transportfrom location to location, for example when moving residences.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide anottoman wherein the top cover is conveniently removable to access aninterior storage space. It is another object of the present invention toprovide an ottoman that is easily assembled and disassembled using onlybasic hand tools. It is yet another object of the present invention toprovide an ottoman that can be collapsed into an efficient and smallpackage for transport and storage.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention provides a foldable ottoman having a sidewallassembly, a bottom panel, and a top lid. The sidewall assembly comprisesa number of sidewalls and a number of hinges, preferably an equalnumber, each hinge interconnecting adjacent sidewalls, enabling thesidewall assembly to be moved between a collapsed state and a deployedstate. The sidewall assembly has a bottom end and a top end, and aplurality of support members disposed near the bottom end. The bottompanel is preferably removably supported within the sidewall assembly bythe support members, and the top lid is preferably removably supportedby the top end of the sidewall assembly. The foldable ottoman can havevarious geometric shapes, including any polygon, such as a square,rectangle, hexagon, octagon, or higher, or can have a large number ofsides so as to simulate a circle.

The present invention also provides a method of assembling a foldableottoman having a sidewall assembly, a bottom panel, a top lid, andplurality of support members. The sidewall assembly has a number ofsidewalls interconnected by flexible hinges, and is moved from acollapsed state to a deployed state by pivoting the adjacent sidewallsabout the flexible hinges into the desired geometric shape correspondingto the number of sidewalls. The support members are removably installednear a bottom end of the sidewall assembly, the bottom panel is insertedinto an interior space within the sidewall assembly to be removablysupported by the support members, and the top lid is placed onto a topend of the sidewall assembly to be supported thereon.

Other objects, advantages, and features of the present invention willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the followingdetailed description, when considered in conjunction with the appendedclaims and the accompanying drawings briefly described below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitutea part of this specification, illustrate preferred embodiments of theinvention, and together with the general description given above and thedetailed description given below, serve to explain features of theinvention. However, it should be understood that this invention is notlimited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown in thedrawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ottoman having a generally squareshape according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the ottoman of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3A, 3B are perspective views of a sidewall assembly of the ottomanof FIG. 1 in partially collapsed and fully collapsed positions,respectively.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial sectional view showing a hinged joint of asidewall assembly of an ottoman according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial sectional view showing a lid supported ona sidewall assembly of an ottoman according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged partial sectional view showing a support memberfor supporting a bottom panel of an ottoman according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an ottoman having a generallyrectangular shape according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an ottoman having a generally hexagonalshape according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an ottoman having a generally octagonalshape according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an ottoman having a generally circularshape according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention provides an article that can be readily assembledfor use as a piece of furniture and can readily be disassembled into aneasily portable package for transport and storage, such as a generallyflat or rolled up configuration. Although particular reference is madeherein to an ottoman, the article can function equally as a coffeetable, end table, or other similar piece of furniture.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an ottoman 10 comprises a sidewall assembly20, a bottom panel 30, and a top lid 40. The sidewall assembly 20 isadapted to be moved from a collapsed state to a deployed state, andcomprises a plurality of sidewalls 22. Each sidewall 22 has an innerface 26, an outer face 28, a bottom end 50, and a top end 52. Adjacentsidewalls 22 are hingedly interconnected to each other using hinges 24,a hinge 24 being disposed between each pair of adjacent sidewalls 22.Each hinge 24 preferably has an operating range of at leastapproximately 90 degrees, and each hinge 24 more preferably has anoperating range of at least approximately 180 degrees.

In an example, as depicted in FIG. 3A, a hinge 24 a can be adapted toflex between about 0 degrees, to enable a pair of adjacent sidewalls 22to be oriented such that the two sidewalls 22 are disposed substantiallyparallel to each other and aligned in the same plane, and about 90degrees, to enable the pair of adjacent sidewalls 22 to be orientedperpendicularly to each other. Further, a hinge 24 b can be adapted toflex between about 180 degrees, to enable a pair of adjacent sidewalls22 to be oriented such that the sidewalls 22 are disposed substantiallyparallel with their respective inner faces 26 directly opposite eachother, and about 90 degrees, to enable the pair of sidewalls 22 to beoriented perpendicularly to each other. It can be readily seen that in agenerally square or rectangular embodiment of the ottoman, as shown inFIGS. 1-3B and 7, the sidewall assembly 22 may include two hinges 24 a(adapted to flex between about 0 degrees and about 90 degrees) and twohinges 24 b (adapted to flex between about 90 degrees and about 180degrees). Alternatively, the sidewall assembly 22 may include fourhinges 24 each adapted to flex between about 0 degrees and about 180degrees.

When the ottoman 10 is deployed for use, the side assembly 20 in a firstillustrated embodiment is configured into a generally square shape asshown in FIG. 1, wherein each sidewall 22 is disposed generallyperpendicularly to two adjacent sidewalls 22 and the hinges 24 areflexed at approximately 90 degrees. As is shown in the exemplaryembodiments of FIGS. 7-10, an ottoman can be configured in a multitudeof other geometric shapes, including but not limited to a rectangle, apentagon, a hexagon, an octagon, and a multi-sided structureapproximating a circle. When the sidewall assembly 20 is in a collapsedstate, as depicted in FIG. 3B, the hinges 24 are alternately flexed toapproximately 0 degrees and approximately 180 degrees, such that theinner faces 26 of one pair of sidewalls 22 are disposed directlyopposite to the inner faces 26 of another pair of sidewalls 22, and theentire sidewall assembly 20 is essentially flat and has a thicknessapproximately equal to that of two sidewalls 22. FIG. 3A shows apartially collapsed transition during assembly or disassembly betweenthe deployed and the collapsed states of the sidewall assembly 20.

The hinges 24 can be made from any mechanism capable of providingsufficient flexing such as between 0 degrees and 180 degrees. In anembodiment, the hinges 24 are made from a fabric or web of materialfastened to the inner face 26 of each of the adjacent sidewalls 22. Afabric hinge 24 has the advantages of full flexibility over its entirerange, light weight, and resistance to fatigue failure over long-termuse. In addition, fabric hinges 24 permit a small amount of flex in theoverall dimensions of the deployed sidewall assembly 20 so as to permita snug fit of the bottom panel 30 and top lid 40 when the ottoman 10 isassembled. Nevertheless, other hinges 24 may equivalently be used tojoin the sidewalls 22 together, including piano hinges and/or othermechanical hinges known in the art.

As depicted, particularly in FIG. 2, the hinges 24 extend along a middleportion of the junction between a pair of adjacent sidewalls 22. Inanother embodiment, the hinges 24 can extend along the entire length ofthe junction between a pair of adjacent sidewalls 22. In yet anotherembodiment, two or more hinges 24 can be used between each pair ofadjacent sidewalls 22, each hinge 24 extending along a portion of thejunction between a pair of adjacent sidewalls 22. Alternatively, asingle fabric web can extend around the entire inner periphery of thesidewall assembly for interconnecting all of the sidewalls.

Each of the sidewalls can be solid, as shown for example in FIGS. 3A-3Band 7-10, or can include an opening of any shape, as shown for exampleby the opening 54 in FIGS. 1 and 2. When solid sidewalls are employed,the ottoman can be used for hidden storage, the items within remainingreadily accessible by merely removing the top lid. When sidewalls havingopenings are employed, the bottom panel can be a functional shelf forstowing articles reading material, or other items that could beconveniently accessed in locations where the ottoman is used. Acombination of sidewalls, including at least one solid sidewall and atleast one sidewall having an opening, can be employed in the sameottoman.

The bottom panel 30 preferably has a shape that closely matches theshape of the sidewall assembly 20 when deployed, having a number ofedges 36 matching the number of sidewalls 22 in the sidewall assembly20. In the illustrated embodiment, when the ottoman 10 is deployed foruse, the bottom panel 30 is inserted into an interior space 56 withinthe sidewall assembly 20, with each edge 36 in close proximity to theinner face 26 of a corresponding sidewall 22. As shown in detail in FIG.6, the bottom panel 30 is supported by a plurality of support members32. In one embodiment, the support members protrude inwardly from thesidewalls 22 of the sidewall assembly 20. In this embodiment, apertures34 are disposed in the sidewalls 22 near the bottom ends 50 thereof, theapertures 34 extend at least partially into the inner face 26 of eachsidewall 22. The apertures 34 may be blinded in the sidewalls 22, or mayextend through the sidewalls 22 to the outer face 28. Each supportmember 32 is inserted partially into an aperture 34 so that a portion ofthe support member 32 is snugly supported by the sidewall 22 and aremaining portion of the support member 32 protrudes inwardly from theinner face 26 of the sidewall 22 for supporting the bottom panel 30.Each sidewall 22 preferably has at least one aperture 34 adapted forreceiving a support member 32.

In the depicted embodiment, the support members 32 are pegs having astepped diameter including a narrower portion 36 for inserting into theaperture 34 and a wider portion 38 for protruding inwardly from theinner face 26 of the sidewall 22. It is also contemplated that theapertures 34 can include an internal thread, and the narrower portion 36of each peg 32 can include a corresponding external thread for securingthe peg 32 within the aperture 34. Alternatively, the support members 32can be other similar mechanical devices known in the art that can beremovably secured to protrude from the inside face 26 of the sidewalls22 by any reversible means known in the art, including but not limitedto a compression fit, nails, screws, shelving supports, or hook and loopfasteners. Still further, the support members 32 can be a ledge orflange attached to or formed integrally with the sidewalls 22 and ontowhich the bottom panel 30 rests. While the illustrated embodiment showsthe support members 32 attached to the sidewalls 22, it is alsocontemplated that the support members 32 could be outward protrusionsformed on the bottom panel 30 that engage with recesses or ledges on theinner surfaces 26 of the sidewalls 22.

The top lid 40 can have any shape and preferably includes a downwardlyextending locator 44 that closely matches the shape of the sidewallassembly 20 when deployed, the locator 44 having a number of edges 46matching the number of sidewalls 22 in the sidewall assembly 20. Thelocator 44 can be a continuous extension formed on the lid 40, such as adownwardly projecting lip, or may be a plurality of flanges extendingdownwardly from the lid 40 to locate the lid with respect to thesidewall assembly 20. In the illustrated embodiment, the top lid 40includes a brim 46 extending outwardly from the periphery of the locator44 to rest on the top ends 52 of the sidewalls 22 when the ottoman 10 isassembled. When the ottoman 10 is deployed for use, the brim 46 of thetop lid 40 is supported on the top ends 52 of the sidewalls 22 and thelocator 44 is inserted into the sidewall assembly 20, with each edge 46in close proximity to the inner face 26 of the corresponding sidewall22, as shown in detail in FIG. 5. As depicted, the shape of the top lid40 is the same as that of the locator 44 and the deployed sidewallassembly 20, but the brim 46 of the top lid 40 can be of any shape, evena shape that does not correspond to the shape of the deployed sidewallassembly 20. While the illustrated embodiment depicts a locator 44 theconforms to the number of sidewalls 22, it should be readily apparentthat the locator 44 can be downwardly projecting pins positioned tocenter the lid 40 on the sidewall assembly 20. In such a configuration,as little as two pins could be used, positioned near opposite bottomedges of the lid 40. It is also contemplated that the locator 44 may beeliminated and, instead, a second set of support members can extendinwardly from the sidewall assembly 20 near its upper end 52. In thisalternate embodiment, the lid 40 would not include a brim 46, butinstead would be sized to fit within the sidewall assembly 20 and besupported by the second set of support members.

To deploy the ottoman 10 in the illustrated embodiment, beginning withthe component parts in a disassembled state, the following steps aretaken. The sidewall assembly 20 is transitioned from its collapsedstate, where pairs of sidewalls 22 lie generally flat on one another, toa generally deployed state, where the four sidewalls 22 are disposed atangles of approximately 90 degrees as interconnected by the hinges 24.The sidewall assembly 10 is placed on the floor or on another generallyhorizontal surface with the bottom ends 50 of the sidewalls 22 orienteddownward and the top ends 52 oriented upward. Each sidewall 22 has atleast one aperture 34, each aperture 34 adapted for removably receivinga peg 32. The pegs 32 are inserted into the apertures 34, and the bottompanel 30 is inserted into the interior space 56 within the sidewallassembly 20 at the open top end 52 thereof, until the bottom panel 30 issupported by the plurality of pegs 32. The close fit between the edges36 of the bottom panel 30 and the inner faces 26 of the sidewalls 22provides stability to the structure and shape of the ottoman 10.Finally, the top lid 40 is positioned on the top end 52 of the sidewallassembly 20 so that the locator 44 sits inside the sidewall assembly 20surrounded by the inner faces 26 of the sidewalls 22 and the brim 46rests on the top ends 52 of the sidewalls 22. To return the ottoman 10to a collapsed state, the preceding steps can simply be done in reverseorder.

Although the ottoman 10 described above comprises a sidewall assembly 20having four sidewalls 22 of approximately equal dimensions, otherembodiments of an ottoman are envisioned. As depicted in FIG. 7, anottoman 110 has a generally rectangular shape and comprises a sidewallassembly 120, a bottom panel (not shown), and a top lid 140. Thesidewall assembly 120 has a pair of opposed sidewalls 122 and a pair ofopposed sidewalls 123 having a width that is less than the width of thesidewalls 122. Each sidewall 122 is interconnected by a hinge 124 to anadjacent sidewall 123 at either end thereof, and similarly, eachsidewall 123 is interconnected by a hinge 123 to an adjacent sidewall122 at either end thereof. The manner of supporting the bottom panel andthe top lid 140 in the ottoman 110 is the same as described above withregard to the ottoman 10.

In general, an ottoman having any number of sides can be made that isreadily assembled for use and is readily collapsed into generally flatcomponent parts. As depicted in FIG. 8, an ottoman 210 has a generallyhexagonal shape and comprises a generally hexagonal sidewall assembly220 having six sidewalls 222 interconnected by hinges 224, a bottompanel (not shown), and a top lid 240. As depicted in FIG. 9, an ottoman310 has a generally octagonal shape and comprises a generally octagonalsidewall assembly 320 having eight sidewalls 322 interconnected byhinges 326, a bottom panel (not shown), and a top lid 340.

In addition, an ottoman having a large number of sides can be made toresemble a circular shape while still being readily assembled andcollapsible into easily transportable and stowable component parts. Asdepicted in FIG. 10, an ottoman 410 has a generally circular shape andcomprises a sidewall assembly 420 having a large number of sidewalls422, a generally circular bottom panel (not shown), and a generallycircular top lid 440. The sidewall assembly 420 further comprises afabric hinge 424 interconnecting each adjacent pair of sidewalls 422.Alternatively, a single fabric web can extend around the entire innerperiphery of the sidewall assembly 420 for interconnecting all of thesidewalls 422 into a ring. In a collapsed state, when the top lid 440and bottom panel have been removed, the sidewall assembly 420 can befolded flat, or can be rolled up due to the flexibility of the hinges424 interconnecting the sidewalls 422.

Although the depicted embodiments each have all the sidewalls attachedwith a hinge, it is contemplated that one set of adjacent sidewalls mayhave a removable attachment, such as hook and loop fasteners. In thisembodiment, the sidewalls would be arranged into to desired shape andthe final sidewalls interconnected.

While the invention has been disclosed with reference to certainpreferred embodiments, numerous modifications, alterations, and changesto the described embodiments are possible without departing from thesphere and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims andequivalents thereof. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention notbe limited to the described embodiments, but that it have the full scopedefined by the language of the following claims.

1. A foldable ottoman comprising: a sidewall assembly having a number ofsidewalls and an equal number of hinges hingedly interconnectingadjacent sidewalls, the sidewall assembly having a bottom end and anopposed top end; a plurality of support members protruding inwardly fromthe sidewall assembly and disposed near the bottom end thereof; a bottompanel removably supported by the support members within the sidewallassembly; and a top lid removably supported by the top end of thesidewall assembly.
 2. The foldable ottoman of claim 1, wherein thesidewall assembly forms a generally circular shape and has a largenumber of sidewalls.
 3. The foldable ottoman of claim 1, wherein thesidewall assembly forms a polygonal shape having an even number ofsidewalls.
 4. The foldable ottoman of claim 3, wherein the sidewallassembly forms a square.
 5. The foldable ottoman of claim 3, wherein thesidewall assembly forms a rectangle.
 6. The foldable ottoman of claim 3,wherein the sidewall assembly forms a hexagon.
 7. The foldable ottomanof claim 3, wherein the sidewall assembly forms an octagon.
 8. Thefoldable ottoman of claim 1, wherein the hinges comprise fabric hinges.9. The foldable ottoman of claim 1, wherein each support member is a pegprotruding inwardly from a sidewall.
 10. The foldable ottoman of claim9, wherein each sidewall includes at least one aperture adapted forremovably receiving a peg.
 11. The foldable ottoman of claim 1, whereinthe lid includes a locator to position the lid on the sidewall assembly.12. The foldable ottoman of claim 1, wherein the sidewalls, the lid, andthe bottom panel in combination form a closed interior space.
 13. Thefoldable ottoman of claim 1, wherein at least one sidewall comprises anopening.
 14. A foldable ottoman comprising: a sidewall assembly havingfour sidewalls and four fabric hinges hingedly interconnecting adjacentsidewalls, the sidewall assembly having a bottom end and an opposed topend; a bottom panel removably supported by a plurality of supportmembers within the sidewall assembly near the bottom end thereof; and atop lid removably supported by the top end of the sidewall assembly, thetop lid having a locator to position the lid on the sidewall assembly.15. The foldable ottoman of claim 14, wherein each support membercomprises a ledge formed integrally with a sidewall, the bottom panelresting on the ledge.
 16. The foldable ottoman of claim 14, wherein eachsupport member comprises a ledge attached to a sidewall, the bottompanel resting on the ledge.
 17. The foldable ottoman of claim 14,wherein each support member comprises a peg protruding inwardly from asidewall and an aperture in the sidewall adapted to removably receivethe peg, the bottom panel resting on the peg.
 18. The foldable ottomanof claim 14, wherein each support member comprises an outward protrusionformed on the bottom panel, the outward protrusion engaging a sidewall.19. A method of assembling a foldable ottoman having a sidewall assemblyincluding a number of sidewalls and an equal number of hinges hingedlyinterconnecting adjacent sidewalls, a bottom panel, a top lid, and aplurality of support members, the sidewall assembly having an openbottom end and an open top end, comprising: unfolding the sidewallassembly from a collapsed state to form a geometric shape defined by thenumber of sidewalls; removably installing at least one support membernear the bottom end of each sidewall, the support members protrudinginwardly from the sidewall assembly; inserting the bottom panel throughthe open top end of the sidewall assembly to be removably supported bythe support members; placing the top lid to be removably supported bythe top end of the sidewall assembly.
 20. The method of claim 19,wherein the hinges comprise fabric hinges.
 21. The method of claim 19,wherein each support member is a peg adapted to be removably insertedinto a corresponding aperture in a sidewall.
 22. The method of claim 19,wherein the top lid has a locator for positioning the lid on thesidewall assembly.
 23. The method of claim 19, wherein the number ofsidewalls is an even number and the sidewall assembly forms a polygonalshape.
 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the number of sidewalls isfour and the sidewall assembly forms a generally square shape.
 25. Themethod of claim 19, wherein the number of sidewalls is large and thesidewall assembly forms a generally circular shape.